Superatomic catalyst for efficient nitric oxide reduction using Al8O3 superatom-oxide framework
摘要
For cluster catalysts, reducing their size to single atoms gives rise to precise and high-selective catalytic performance, at the cost of losing some tunability. Superatoms, the entirety with atom-like electronic shells and fine-tunable properties as clusters, are promising candidates for cluster catalysts. Here, we predicted a superatom-assembled two-dimension Al8O3 superatom-oxide framework (SOF) using first principles calculation, where the Al8 core comprises two 8-electron Al4 superatoms and further linked by oxygen atoms in a graphene-like lattice, resulting in porous and stable geometry. The Al8O3-SOF serves as an efficient superatomic catalyst for nitric oxide (NO) reduction reaction, where the Al4 superatomic unit acts cohesively as the active site throughout the catalytic process and its superatomic P orbital plays an important role in activating NO molecule. Additionally, the catalytic activity of Al8O3-SOF increases when the two central Al atoms of the Al8 core are replaced by Ga atoms, reducing the limiting potential to −0.48 V comparable to that of the reported Pt(100). Our work proposes a novel series of superatomic catalysts and reveals the superatomic behavior in the catalytic process, providing references for the development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts.